If the iPhone 16 is out of your budget, Apple now has a more affordable, pared-down version for you to consider. The company on Wednesday announced the new iPhone 16E, a budget-friendly option that costs $599 and features Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, the C1. It will be available on February 28th, though you can preorder it starting on February 21st.
Like the iPhone 16, the 16E comes with a 6.1-inch OLED screen, Face ID, and a USB-C port. It also runs on the A18 chip, which allows the phone to support Apple Intelligence features. It has the same customizable Action Button on the left-hand side. And Apple claims it offers even better battery life, with up to 26 hours of video playback — four hours more than the iPhone 16.
Of course, there are some iPhone 16 features it lacks. You don’t get an ultrawide camera, for example, or the Camera Control button. The 16E also lacks MagSafe compatibility and the sleeker Dynamic Island design.
That’s just a glimpse of some of the main differentiators. If you want to dive even deeper, we’ve rounded up all the major specs in the table below so you can see for yourself how exactly the models stack up.
| Category | iPhone 16E | iPhone SE (2022) | iPhone 16 | iPhone 16 Plus | iPhone 16 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system | iOS 18 | iOS 18 | iOS 18 | iOS 18 | iOS 18 | iOS 18 |
| Apple Intelligence support | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display | 6.1-inch (2532 x 1170) OLED | 4.7-inch LCD | 6.1-inch (2556 x 1179) OLED | 6.7-inch (2796 x 1290) OLED | 6.3-inch (2622 x 1206) OLED | 6.9-inch (2868 x 1320) OLED |
| Display refresh rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | 60Hz | 60Hz | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz |
| Peak brightness | 1,200 nits | 625 nits | 2,000 nits | 2,000 nits | 2,000 nits | 2,000 nits |
| Always-on display | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Glass display | Ceramic Shield front | Glass front and back | Latest-gen Ceramic Shield front | Latest-gen Ceramic Shield front | Latest-gen Ceramic Shield front | Latest-gen Ceramic Shield front |
| Dimensions | 71.5 x 146.7 x 7.8mm | 67.3 x 138.4 x 7.3mm | 71.6 x 147.6 x 7.8mm | 77.8 x 160.9 x 7.8mm | 71.5 x 149.6 x 8.25mm | 77.6 x 163 x 8.25mm |
| Weight | 167g | 144g | 170g | 199g | 199g | 227g |
| Battery capacity | Up to 26 hours of video playback | Up to 15 hours of video playback | Up to 22 hours of video playback | Up to 27 hours of video playback | Up to 27 hours of video playback | Up to 33 hours of video playback |
| Wireless charging | Yes (Qi-compatible) | Yes (Qi-compatible) | Yes (MagSafe / Qi2) | Yes (MagSafe / Qi2) | Yes (MagSafe / Qi2) | Yes (MagSafe / Qi2) |
| Fast charge-capable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Processor | A18 | A15 Bionic | A18 | A18 | A18 Pro | A18 Pro |
| RAM | 8GB (expected) | 4GB | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Ports | USB-C | Lightning | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Rear cameras | 48-megapixel (f/1.6) main camera | 12MP (f/1.8 OIS) wide | 48-megapixel (f/1.6) main camera / 12-megapixel (f/2.2) ultrawide | 48-megapixel (f/1.6) main camera / 12-megapixel (f/2.2) ultrawide | 48-megapixel (f/1.78) main camera / 48-megapixel (f/2.2) ultrawide /12-megapixel telephoto (f/2.8) | 48-megapixel (f/1.78) main camera / 48-megapixel (f/2.2) ultrawide / 12-megapixel telephoto (f/2.8) |
| Macro mode | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Front cameras | 12-megapixel | 7MP (f/2.2) | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video recording | Up to 4K at 60fps | 4K at 24 / 25 / 30 / or 60fps 1080p HD at 25 / 30 / or 60fps with 120 and 240fps slow-mo | Up to 4K at 60fps | Up to 4K at 60fps | Up to 4K at 60fps (ProRes with external recording) | Up to 4K at 60fps (ProRes with external recording) |
| Biometrics | Face ID | Touch ID | Face ID | Face ID | Face ID | Face ID |
| SIM support | Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) | Dual eSIM and physical SIM | Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) | Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) | Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) | Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) |
| Action Button | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Camera Control button | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic Island | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi 7 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Satellite SOS feature | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Messages via satellite | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crash Detection | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Pay | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP67 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Starting price | $599 | Discontinued (was $429) | $799 | $899 | $999.00 | $1199 |
| Colors | Black / white | Black / white / red | Black / white / teal / ultramarine / pink | Black / white / teal / ultramarine / pink | Black titanium / white titanium / natural titanium / desert titanium | Black titanium / white titanium / natural titanium / desert titanium |